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Painting over Wall Liner

I may have made an unnecessary mess where all I am trying to do is paint my bathroom walls. The walls were uneven and I saw some bubbling and seams in places. I started to just skimcoat and sand everything, but then I got too curious with the blade and started scraping at the bubbles. It looks like there was a brown wall liner (at first I thought it was wallpaper, but it's not) applied, then painted over. I started scraping away. It comes off easily in some places-like where it's bubbling-and is harder in others. Now I'm worried that this wall liner was put there to help the walls, and that I should not be peeling at all! Maybe I should have slit and glued down the bubbles and left the wall as it was. Should I keep peeling, and scraping, or quit while I'm ahead, sand and skim and try to even everything back out? Under the paint and wall liner is a glossy paint-latex I think- in varying conditions.What to do?

If you have not gone to far I would just skim the areas that have come off and leave it that way. If you have done a lot just take the liner off and then you will find out why it was put and then you may have to put more up.

Thank you for your responses! Bob, you were right, the skim coat did make more of the liner come off. In the end I removed ALL of it, washed the walls, patched, sanded, skimmed, sanded and then primed! My bathroom is not smooth and pure white and ready for the color this weekend. Unbelievable how a small project becomes HUGE when you decide to do it right. The scary thing is, I have the whole house to paint! But no more wall liner to deal with that I know of. Thanks again.